The missing 54

The missing 54 are 54 soldiers and officers of the Indian Armed Forces who went missing in action during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and whom the Indian government believes to be secretly held by Pakistan. Pakistan denies the existence of such prisoners of war.

History

During the war, The fifth battalion of the Assam Regiment was deployed as part of 191 Infantry Brigade on the west of Munnawar Tawi River in the Chambb region. 10 Infantry Division on the Indian side faced 23 Division on the Pakistani side. 5 Sikh were at Chhamb and were in the middle of the brigade group with 5 Assam and 4/1 Gorkha Rifles on either side. On 4 December, Pakistani artillery and PAF were in action in the areas of 5 Sikh and 5 Assam, the Pakistani infantry supported by armour captured Mandiala North after fighting. On 5 December, two tanks of Deccan Horse and a platoon of 5 Sikh recaptured the Mandiala Bridge. These three battalions were subjected to intense shelling and repeated PAF attacks. During this battle, Major Ashok Suri went missing.

The Pakistan government invited family members to Pakistan to identify, if found, its missing defence personnel in November 1982 when India and Pakistan signed a protocol on exchange of prisoners when Zia Ul Haq visited India. On 30 May 1983, Narasimha Rao said that he would take up at the highest level the visit of the parents of missing defence personnel to Pakistan. A delegation of six next-of-kins were allowed to go, it was made very clear that this was a classified visit that the press were not invited to. The families left on 12 September 1983, Monday to visit Lahore. This was the first time the Indians had got consular access after 1971. The families got to know that some officials of the MEA will also be going with them to Multan jail. Indira Gandhi was making aggressive statements in favour of Khan Abdul Gafar Khan and the MQM movement which was irritating Pakistan. On 14 September they flew to Multan, India was supposed to grant Pakistani officials reciprocal access to 25 Pakistani prisoners at Patiala jail which did not happen. The news came in Pakistani papers that "India goes back on its words". On 15 September 1983, the soldiers families visited Multan jail.

On the Eastern front where there were 93,007 POWs (of which 72,795 were soldiers), an agreement was signed by the Foreign Ministers of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan on 30 April 1974 at New Delhi. Thereafter the Pakistani POWs captured on the Eastern front were also repatriated.

List of alleged prisoners

Officers

1. Wg Cdr Harsharan Singh Gill 4657-F(P)
2. Sqn Ldr Jatinder Das Kumar 4896-F(P)
3. Flt Lt Gurudev Singh Rai 9015-F(P)
4. Flt Lt RS Kadam 8404-F(P)
5. Flt Lt Manohar Purohit 10249(N) 5 Squadron
6. Flt Lt Tanmaya Singh Dandoss 8160-F(P)
7. Flt Lt Babul Guha 5105-F(P)
8. Flt Lt Suresh Chander Sandal 8659-F(P)
9. Flt Lt Ram Metharam Advani 7812-F(P)
10. Flt Lt Harvinder Singh 9441-F(P)
11. Flt Lt LM Sassoon 7419-F(P)
12. Flt Lt Kushal Pal Singh Nanda 781N-F(N)
13. Flt Lt Ashok Balwant Dhavale 9030-F(P)
14. Flt Lt L Shrikant Chanderkant Mahajan 10239-F(P)
15. Flt Lt Vijay Vasant Tambay
16. Flying Officer Krishan Lakhimal Malkani 10576-F(P)
17. Flying Officer KP Murlidharan 10575-F(P)

Army officers

1. Major SPS Waraich IC-12712 15 Punjab
2. Major Kanwaljit Singh Sandhu IC-14590 15 Punjab
3. Capt Ravinder Kaura SS-20095 39 Med Regiment
4. Capt GR Singh IC-23283 5 Assam
5. Capt OP Dalal SS-22536 Grenadiers
6. Maj AK Ghosh IC-18790 15 Rajput
7. Maj AK Suri SS-19807 5 Assam
8. Capt KS Rathod IC23148 5 Assam
9. Major JS Malik IC-14457 8 Raj. Rifles
10. Major SC Guleri IC-20230 9 Jat
11. 2nd Lt VK Azad IC-58589 1/9 G R
12. Capt Kamal Bakshi IC-19294 5 Sikh
13. Capt DS Jamwal 81 Field Regiment
14. Capt Washisht Nath Attock
15. Lt H Krishna Lal 13719585 1 JK Rifles
16. 2nd Lt Paras Ram Sharma
17. Hnk. Shri Krishan Narain 14 Rajput Regt 2949840 13 UP

Navy officer

1. Naval Pilot Commanding Officer A Roy

Air Force officers

1. Sq Ldr MK Jain 5327-F(P)
2. Flt Lt Sudhir Kumar Goswami 8956-F(P)
3. Flying Officer Sudhir Tyagi 10871-F(P)
4. Flt Lt Vijay Vasant Tambay 7662-F(P)
5. Flt Lt Nagaswami Shanker 9773-F(P)
6. Sq Ldr PN Malhotra
7. Flt Lt SK Chibber
8. 2nd Lt JalManeckshaw Mistry 5006-F(P)

Other ranks

1. Subedar Assa Singh JC-41339 5 Sikh
2. Subedar Kalidas JC-59 8 JK
3. L/Nk Jagdish Lal 9208735 Mahaar Regiment
4. Naik Hazoora Singh 682211303
5. Gunner Sujan Singh 1146819 14 FD Regiment
6. Sepoy Daler Singh 2461830 15 Punjab
7. Sepoy Pal Singh 1239603 181 Lt Regiment
8. Sepoy Jagir Singh 2459067 16 Punjab
9. Officer TS Sethi
10. Gunner Madan Mohan 1157419 94 Mountain Regiment
11. Gunner Gyan Chand

See also

• Prisoners of war during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
• Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
• Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War
• Military plans of the Bangladesh Liberation War
• Mitro Bahini order of battle
• Pakistan Army order of battle, December 1971
• Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan
• 1971 Bangladesh genocide
• Operation Searchlight
• Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts
• Military history of India
• List of military disasters
• List of wars involving India

External links

• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061217/spectrum/main1.htm
• http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-1-2005_pg7_28
• http://fateh.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/78f5a2ff8906d1788725657c00732d6c/7bfcf2a9609cc48987256f9b006234e2!OpenDocument